The present invention relates to an adjusting device for a safety belt in a vehicle.
Such an adjusting device comprises at least one belt guiding element which is provided for the guidance of a portion of the safety belt. The belt guiding element in this case is designed to be extendable in order to facilitate the grasping of the safety belt, for example on an insertion tongue for a belt buckle, by a vehicle occupant when fastening the safety belt. The adjusting device may be designed, therefore, as a so-called belt extender in order to displace to the front a portion of the safety belt to be grasped by a vehicle occupant before fastening the safety belt. Generally, such adjusting devices are arranged on a vehicle part fixed to the bodywork, for example in the region of the B-pillar of a motor vehicle, or on a seat part of a vehicle seat, for example in or on the backrest.
An adjusting device comprising a belt guiding element for a safety belt is disclosed in DE 10 2004 036 189 A1, in which the belt guiding element in the extended state is retained via a supporting element designed in the manner of a link chain. Via the individual chain links the supporting element per se is flexible. In the extended state, however, the individual chain links are fixed together such that the chain is rigid transversely to a direction of extension of the belt guiding element and retains the belt guiding element in a desired position. In DE 10 2004 036 189 A1, in this case the supporting element which is designed as a link chain is able to be pivoted in the extended state in a targeted manner via a traction cable in order to be able to extend the belt guiding element on a backrest substantially upwardly and to pivot said belt guiding element to the front. To this end, in a retracted state in which the belt guiding element is in a resting position, the link chain is arranged so as to extend in a linear manner inside a guide channel. After the link chain has been extended sufficiently far along a channel longitudinal axis, it is then pivoted and bent in a curved manner.
The adjusting device proposed in DE 10 2004 036 189 A1 requires a relatively large amount of constructional space and is not suitable for arranging on a B-pillar of a motor vehicle. Thus when attached to the B-pillar, a belt guiding element has to be displaced primarily to the front and not upwardly. In the direction of extension which extends transversely to the direction of extension of the B-pillar, there is generally insufficient constructional space available in order to accommodate a guide channel extending in a linear manner in the direction of extension, as is provided in DE 10 2004 036 189 A1. Additionally, the adjusting device disclosed in DE 10 2004 036 189 A1 does not provide any possibility of adjusting a position of the belt guiding element after a vehicle occupant has fastened the safety belt.
Moreover, an adjusting device designed as a belt extender is disclosed in DE 10 2009 009 906 A1, said adjusting device also having a supporting element configured as a multi-link feed chain in order to displace a portion of a safety belt by extending the feed chain from a housing, such that said safety belt may be easily grasped by a vehicle occupant for fastening the safety belt. In order to require less constructional space for mounting the feed chain which is rigid only in the extended state, a guide for the feed chain is provided inside the housing, said feed chain being deflected repeatedly in said guide.
In DE 10 2009 009 906 A1, the feed chain is used for displacing a belt portion which is no longer coupled to the adjusting device after fastening the safety belt. Accordingly, DE 10 2009 009 906 A1 also does not provide any further possibility of adjusting the positioning of a belt guiding element. Instead, in this case via the design of a retaining arm which is able to be extended via the feed chain it is ensured that the portion of the safety belt is displaced to the front substantially independently of the current position of the unused safety belt and then may be easily grasped substantially independently of the size and seating position of a vehicle occupant located on an assigned vehicle seat.